Winair Grounds Antigua-Montserrat, Antigua-St. Maarten Flights

Windward Islands Airways International (Winair) temporarily halted its flights between Antigua and Montserrat due to a pilot shortage and maintenance repairs on one of its aircraft.

In the interim, Carib Aviation, a regional company that operates Twin Otter and Islander aircraft similar to Winair´s, is servicing the route.

Winair, which resumed service to Montserrat in July 2005 after a 10-year hiatus due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano in 1995, will pick up the route again once additional pilots have been hired and the aircraft is back in service.

Winair has a two-year contract with the government of Montserrat to fly the Antigua-Montserrat route on an exclusive basis. The contract ends in July 2007.

The carrier also has stopped flying its St. Maarten-Antigua route, due to low loads and a shortage of personnel. Passengers have been rebooked on Caribbean Star and LIAT airlines.